John Harry McNeaney (30 May 1897 – 1 March 1919) was a Canadian

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

, flying with both the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

and the Royal Air Force. He was credited with five aerial victories. John McNeaney was the only Canadian Sopwith Dolphin Ace.

Personal life

John McNeaney was born on 30 May 1897, the son of John and Mary Elizabeth McNeaney. He married Bertha Emma McNeaney (née Jones), when he was 17. His christened middle name was Henry, but he signed his marriage certificate Harry, and always used that name. They may have lived at 178, West Second St., Upper Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He also gave an address of 237 Charlton Avenue West.https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24624899/john_henry-mcneaney Retrieved 25 January 2010. McNeaney had a successful career as a competent commercial artist before he joined the Royal Flying Corps on 5 May 1917.

History

Commissioned in August 1917, he flew with No. 79 Squadron RAF, flying the

Sopwith Dolphin The Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin was a British fighter aircraft manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It was used by the Royal Flying Corps and its successor, the Royal Air Force, during the First World War. The Dolphin entered service on the ...

and successfully claimed four German

Fokker D.VII The Fokker D.VII is a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the '' Fokker-Flugzeugwerke''. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII ...

s and a

Halberstadt Halberstadt (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany, the capital of Harz (district), Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town ...

C destroyed. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after he and two others engaged about ten Fokker D.VIIs near Paschendale in Belgium on 28 September 1918. Four Fokkers were claimed destroyed, two accounted for by McNeaney. McNeaney was wounded in June 1918 while on a trench strafing

sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warf ...

. After cessation of hostilities, John was posted to Germany as part of the forces of occupation. He contracted influenza and was brought back to England. He died on 1 March 1919 and was buried at Fulham Old Cemetery in West London, just south of Hammersmith Bridge. His grave has been marked by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which has erected a headstone.

Honors and awards

Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) Lieut. (A./Capt.) John Harry McNeaney. (FRANCE) A gallant and courageous airman who has accounted for five enemy aeroplanes, displaying at all times marked skill and devotion to duty. On 28 September, in company with two other machines, he engaged about ten Fokkers; four of these were destroyed, two by Lieut. McNeaney.

Sources of information

References

''Dolphin and Snipe Aces of World War 1.'' Norman Franks. Osprey Publishing, 2002. , ---- ----

External links

John McNeaney at The Aerodrome ForumHarry McNeaney at findagrave
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNeaney, John Harry Canadian World War I flying aces 1897 births 1919 deaths Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic in England